Runaway Train
by Moonphase
Summary: At eight years old, a jealous Sayu Yagami discovers that real life heroes and villains exist. But which side does her brother belong to? Short two shot. Sibling-focused.
1. Chapter 1

When Sayu Yagami was eight years old she realised that villains and heroes existed in real life.

* * *

The school day was over, at last! Sayu, unlike her sibling, was not a big fan of lessons and homework. And she had homework tonight, so unfair! ("You must pay more attention, Sayu!" Her teacher had nagged her today, "or you'll never surpass your brother!" Why did people always assume they competed? Sayu had stuck out her tongue as soon as the teachers back had turned.) She waved good bye to her school friends who, she walked home with, and ran up to where her house was.

And then she paused.

It was the height of spring and Japans national pride and joy, the sakura blossoms, were out in all their glory. One neighbour had such a tree hanging over his garden wall. Great garlands of bright pink and white flowers floated down to their ground, decorating the entire street. It looked like nature was celebrating.

Carefully, she walked through the water fall of petals and reached up to a low reaching branch, plucking the best and prettiest bunch of blossoms.

Mum would love these!

As she walked up to her front door, she saw Light walking with his friends in the opposite direction. Like she had been, he was surrounded by people from his school. However, whereas Sayu had been interacting and engaging with her friends, Light looked strangely separate; almost as if he was walking home alone and simply putting up with them tagging along.

But maybe it was that way Light had about him that made him so cool. He just never seemed to _need_ anyone.

She smiled and waved at him. She genuinely was happy to see her older brother. Yet…yet part of her suddenly felt afraid and she clutched the blossoms. Without fully understanding and refusing to analyse why, she suddenly realised that she wanted, needed, to get into the house first to see her mum and show her flowers. Skipping slightly to make it seem natural, she bounded into the house before he was even half way up the road, his chattering friends slowing his progress.

Inside the cool hallway, Sayu pulled off her shoes and neatly lined them up with the rest of the families. She put on her slippers and allowed her grin to grow. There was a real sense of victory and relief. She had been first.

"Mama!" She called skipping into the kitchen.

"I'm here, and Sayu please don't yell in the house," mum's warm, honeyed tone berated softly from the kitchen. Sayu stood and watched her for a while. Mum was slightly plump (due to age and from having to children) but in a comfortable, motherly way. She stood at the kitchen sink, humming softly as she peeled carrots for their dinner. She always started their meals early and took a lot of effort in making sure the food was fresh and local. Little things like that were what Sayu appreciated in her mother.

"Mama, I have something for you."

Mum turned and saw Sayu holding the humble and beautiful plume of flowers. Her face little up. She dried her hands and walked to Sayu, lowering herself so she could look into her child's eyes. "Sayu, thank you they are beautiful!"

The mother-daughter resemblance was remarkable as they beamed at each other silmultaneously. A moment between the two held times still.

Suddenly Sayu thought she heard the front door open and close again.

Her mother had heard it also. Turning away from Sayu she called, "Light is that you?"

"_Hypocrite_." Sayu thought bitterly before she could even stop herself. She bit her lip as punishment.

Light swept into the kitchen, looking elegant and unaffected. Light had a grace that Sayu would never match. Even at eight years old she knew that.

Mum had suddenly become active. She practically danced over to her son. "How did you do in the test today?" She cried. She always asked the same question and the response was always the same. What was the point?

Light smiled softly, but Sayu detected the weariness of it underneath. "I did fine, here." He passed their mother his test paper, and mum, as always, squealed childishly in delight.

"I must call and tell aunty Rika!"

Light gave that same deceptive smile. He turned to go to his room, just after sparing Sayu a glance. She had not smiled at him and he did not smile at her. It had been an empty look on both sides.

"Mama," Sayu trailed after her mother, who had forgotten dinner and was trundling into the hallway to phone up aunty whoever. "Mama, I got-I got these flowers from next door and-"

"Not now Sayu." Without looking at her daughter, Sachiko waved her hand towards her in a shooing motion. She focused on finding the telephone number. On finding it she looked down briefly to see her youngest still staring up at her, muddied plants in her hand. "Sayu, go put those in the bin and wash your hands." She dialled the phone. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour." She continued absentmindedly. The phone began to ring and she smiled excitedly. "Go, go Sayu."

Sayu stormed into her room, huffing angrily. She kicked a cuddly bear on her floor, then felt instantly guilty and picked up, hugging it tightly. Stupid mama made her kick her beloved bear. Tears welled up.

"Why am I upset?" She murmured. She climbed onto her bed and looked out the window. Outside she could see the cherry blossoms. Her heart pulled and instead she focused her gaze onto her reflection; skinny body, tanned skin, dark brown eyes, dark brown hair; typical little Asian girl. Why was she so boring? Light's eyes were like honey, and his hair had actual tones of red, bronze and amber. She touched the glass, and it looked like her reflection had reached out to her.

"You're angry," it said, "because no one pays attention to you. It's always _'Light this' _and _'Light that'_. I hate it. It isn't fair."

It was then that Sayu decided to do what so many young children do. The ultimate act of rebellion, of striking out…

"I'll run away," she sniffed. "That'll show them!"

* * *

Dinner was a subdued affair. Mum was still high from Light test scores. Daddy was happy, but work, as usual, had him worn down and tired. He could only muster so much enthusiasm. This seemed to suit Light, who sat next to his father to watch the news after dinner. Light seldom hung around the family; he always had homework to do.

Sayu usually matched her mother's cheerfulness, and between them the pair bought the house alive. This evening however, all Sayu kept thinking of were her amazing blossoms, sitting in a lowly mug of water on her window sill. She should never have picked them. They should have been allowed to stay on the branch on of the blossom tree, proud and free, the Queens of the Blossoms. Now they were stuck in a boring old mug, looking out as all their sisters danced in the sky and lit up the neighbourhood.

She sniffed and dug at her food angrily, determined not to cry.

If anyone had noticed her sullen mood, no one asked, though Light did look at her a few times. She felt angry with him, (even though she knew it wasn't fair on him) and so avoided his gaze.

After dinner, she went immediately to her room, claiming she felt a little ill and wanted an early night. Her father and mother kissed her and she allowed herself to enjoy it. When would be the next time she would feel their fickle love? Probably never. She was planning on doing a good job of running away.

She had already got a plan. She would pack her favourite clothes, her toothbrush, flannel and favourite teddy bear (she wept for the ones she would leave behind). She would then get on a late train to her friends house, Chika, who lived on the other side of town. Chika's mum was super cool, and was always really nice whenever Sayu stayed over. She would always say that Sayu could 'stay over any time' so Sayu was certain that she would not be intruding. After hiding and storing up supplies, she would then go on to Tokyo where she would get a job and earn her way through life. Sort of like _Kiki's Delivery Service_. Sure, it'd be hard, but Sayu was sure she could cope.

She packed her things and waited patiently on her bed for everyone to go to bed.

* * *

Sayu woke an undetermined time later. All was dark. She wiped a line of spit away from her mouth with an 'ew'. Darn she had fallen asleep! What time was it now? The whole house was quiet so it must have been pretty late. Could she still go to Chika's? Sayu common sense began to nag at her, telling her the whole thing was dumb, that she should just go to bed and forget about her plan. Sayu frowned. No, she would do this! Running away wouldn't be another thing that Sayu could not do.

Grabbing her torch, (which she had never needed to use until now) she double checked she had all the right change. Then she slowly snuck onto the landing. Her heart beat in her throat as she passed her parents room. She could hear their soft snores. Light's room was completely silent. He didn't snore or make any noise as far as she could remember. Now that she was leaving she didn't feel angry with Light, just sad. She would come back, one day and see them all. Especially Light. But then she would be older, and wiser, and fabulous from her success, and so she would not feel the way she often felt around Light, like she was something dull and simple in comparison to him.

The hallways were always kept clear thanks to their mother's studious housework, so Sayu crept through the dark with no problems. She went down the stairs carefully, skipping lightly over the ones that creaked. Finally, she slid on her pumps and opened the front door.

The cold night air greeted her. She looked back. This was her last chance. She could turn back right now, get back into bed and never do something like this again.

Sayu stepped outside and carefully closed the door behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Sayu part 2

She was out! Sayu was out!

With her heart thumping powerfully against her chest, she began to run down the street. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and she held in nervous, giddy laughter. When would they discover she was missing? Tomorrow morning, after calling her for breakfast. They were all going to freak out! She wondered how Light, who was forever calm and collected, would react.

Sayu was surprised by how quiet the town was. She had expected it to be as bustling as it was in the daytime. But they did not live in a city, just the suburbs. This little town was as almost as silent at night as anywhere else. Quietly she sat down at the train station and waited. She could hear dogs barking on occasion in the background. She shivered and pulled her coat more tightly around her. It was cold. Colder than she had expected. How long would she have to wait for a train? Were they still running? Would she be here all night?

Suddenly all her jubilation was gone. She felt lonely, scared and sorry for herself. She would probably spend a lot of nights like this, alone and in the dark. Best suck it up now. She climbed off her seat slowly; the cold had stiffened her joints, and shuffled over to the information board. The last train left at 11:15. Well like a total dumb-dumb she had forgotten her watch! Oh yeah, she remembered her flowers, her bear, her torch, but not something as simple as a watch. She berated herself silently, knowing that Light would have bought a watch and probably would have timed the whole thing so he wouldn't have to wait very long at the station.

Distant laughter, cruel and mocking, split the night air and disturbed the calm equilibrium. Sayu felt her body jolt. Like a wild animal, she temporarily froze before scrambling back into the train shelter and huddling into the corner. The shouts and laughter of young males came ever closer. She gulped, her throat dry and aching. Maybe they would be nice people? To be honest, she hadn't thought about other people too much before leaving home. But now, all the scary stories of children being kidnapped by adults pummelled themselves into her consciousness.

Why didn't she remember this part of running away earlier?

She looked out at the tracks, praying a train would come quickly. The thought of going home was now completely gone, if she went outside of he shelter, she might run into the men.

Suddenly everywhere went quiet. The noises of the men had stopped and all was still. Sayu made no movement but the slightly cocking of her head, desperately trying to hear something of the men. What had happened? Had they gone? But shouldn't their voices have slowly faded away instead of halting all together? The atmosphere was heavy and Sayu felt the hairs on her neck and arms prickling.

Well in any case, now was time to skedaddle. The tension was too much. She missed her bed and her home. Getting up she turned to walk out of the shelter and back up the hill. Then she froze. There, silhouetted against the moonlit sky, were three adult males all facing her.

They began to walk towards her and she - before she remembered she shouldn't show any fear in the face of an enemy- had backed up into the furthest corner of the shelter.

"What have we got here?" asked one of the men. Under the dim light of the shelter, their ugly faces were lit up, each line and crevice highlighted.

"What are you doing here?" Asked another, but not in a friendly way. He seemed amused. Sayu detected that the concerned words were a lie. "Where are your parents? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Then the men laughed. Sayu could smell the rank stench of old alcohol and sweat.

"Leave me alone!" She squeaked, immediately ashamed of how weak she sounded. They paused momentarily before laughing harder. "I'm the Chief of Police daughter!" She cried, sounding stronger now that she'd evoked the strength of her family. "So leave me alone, or else!"

Now the men paid attention, but not for the reasons that Sayu had wanted.

"Really, chief of police?" one turned to is comrades and grinned. "I bet the Chief would wanna pay a lot of money to see his little girl gets home alright."

"Come here sweetie," one went towards her. "We'll take you home."

"I-I can get h-home by myself," she stammered before running out of the shelter.

The cold air hurt her chest as she ran at top speeds. She could hear the men laugh and chase after her. She sped up, desperate to get away...but she knew she wouldn't; she was a little girl with small legs. She had no chance.

She felt large, callous hands around her waist and in the next moment she was up in the air and being cradled in one man's arms. He stunk of alcohol and sweet. She squirmed in discomfort desperate to get away from him and his stink.

"Whoa there, feisty one," he laughed. She could feel his bass voice in his chest. "You'll fall if you keep moving! Keep still or Uncle Haru will have to hit you!"

They laughed but Sayu could sense the genuine anger underneath. These men would hit her. She stilled in his arms and a thought crossed her mind, "you don't know where I live."

"Oh don't worry," said a man to the side of her, "we're taking you with us somewhere safe, then daddy can come pick you up."

Sayu felt her heart stop. She couldn't go with these men! Where would they take her? Was this kidnapping? She screamed and began to move around once more. Without warning she was dropped to the floor and cuffed around the head with such force that she fell down. She blinked up at her attacker, stars in her eyes. "I told you not to move," roared the man, he now looked really angry and not amused at all.

Sayu flinched back instinctively. That made them smirk.

Suddenly a rock flew out and hit the man on the head, making him fall also, the other two looked wildly in the direction of where the rock came from.

"The hell...?" muttered the man, he had blood running down the side of his face.

"Who's there?" yelled out one of the men. The answer came with another two, very accurately aimed rocks. Both men fell down, one hit in the stomach another in his knee. The cursed angrily.

Sayu strained her eyes into the darkness. Suddenly her hero came out of the shadows. It was Light on his bike! "Come on Sayu!" He called with a passion she had never heard in his voice before. Ignoring her painful head or aching body she raced towards him. As she did, he went into his satchel and pulled out more rocks and threw them at the men behind so they couldn't catch her.

Quickly she climbed on the back of his bike and the pair drove away. In fear Sayu looked behind, but the men were nowhere to be seen. _They must have given up already_, she thought.

They arrived at the Yagami household. Light tidily put his bike away while Sayu stood looking humble and chastened.

"Never do that again Sayu," he said calmly, his back to her as he put away his bicycle. "No matter how upset you are. There are real bad guys out there."

He turned round and smiled at her. She blinked up at him with doe-like eyes full of tears.

"I'm sorry Light" she ran into his arms.

He leaned his chin on her head. "Don't worry, I won't tell mom or dad. We'll keep this between me and you. Hey don't cry!"

But Sayu just couldn't help it. They stood out there for a long time, despite the cold. Light held his little sister tight until her sobs finally stopped.

It was in the darkness that Sayu realised that there really were bad guys in the world, that bad people existed and that they would hurt her.

She also realised, as she clung to him, that Light was a good guy. Light, her big brother was her hero.

Finally they both went inside. Light tucked up Sayu tightly in bed before going to bed himself. True to his word he never said a thing to either of their parents.

XXXX

For several weeks afterward Sayu would look out of window every night, anxious in case the men had followed her home, that they were waiting in the shadows, sniggering and smirking. It was several years before she even went outside on her own.

It was also after that situation that Sayu began to hero-worship Light. It was then that he became the person she always turned to. He was the person who she respected the most, even more than her parents.

And every night Sayu would pray for Light to always be there, for it never to be just her and her mother. She would pray for forgiveness forever wanting it that way and that she would never want that previous wish carried out.


End file.
